/*
 * Copyright (C) 2009 M. Hautle.
 * 
 * This file is part of TrackedBean.
 * 
 * TrackedBean is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free
 * Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
 * 
 * TrackedBean is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR
 * A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
 * 
 * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License along with TrackedBean. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 */
package ch.trackedbean.loaders.lists;

import java.util.*;
import ch.trackedbean.loaders.*;
import ch.trackedbean.loaders.internal.*;

/**
 * Listloader for {@link DataManager}.<br>
 * Implement this interface to provide a loader for a specified list.<br>
 * See {@link ILoaderService} for further details concerning the service registration.
 * 
 * @author M. Hautle
 * @param <T> The type to load
 * @param <D> The discriminator type
 * @param <K> The settings key type
 * @param <V> The settings value type
 */
public interface IListLoader<T, D, K, V> extends ILoaderService<T> {
    /**
     * Loads the list for the given key.
     * 
     * @param type The content type of the list
     * @param subType Additional discriminator specifying the "subtype" to load (may be null)
     * @param settings Optional settings for the load (may be null)
     * @return The list for the given key
     * @throws Exception If an error occurred during the load
     */
    List<T> load(Class<T> type, D subType, Map<K, V> settings) throws Exception;

    /**
     * Flag indicating if the result of {@link #load(Class,Object,Map)}, using the passed arguments, is cachable.
     * 
     * @param type The content type of the list
     * @param subType Additional discriminator specifying the "subtype" to load (may be null)
     * @param settings Optional settings for the load (may be null)
     * @return True if the result is cachable
     */
    boolean isCachable(Class<T> type, D subType, Map<K, V> settings);
}
